Quigley Classic: Bagget one of the girls

Saturday

BADEN -- Early in the Quigley Classic, Brittany Bagget felt a little out of her element. After all, she was playing with and against girls for the first time in two years.

As a student-athlete at Lincoln Park, Bagget has been a member of the Leopards’ boys basketball team.

The performing arts charter school in Midland doesn’t have a girls team.

“It was exciting, but I was definitely nervous,” Bagget said Friday night, after the girls game at the 47th annual Quigley Classic.

“Getting used to playing with the girls ball was tough. It’s smaller and lighter than the boys ball. So I had to get used to dribbling and shooting with the girls ball. I over-shot a lot of my shots tonight.”

Bagget scored seven points in an all-star affair featuring 20 girls and 25 boys who are seniors at local high schools.

By playing in the Quigley Classic, Bagget made her first on-court appearance since Lincoln Park’s last regular-season game on Feb. 8, an 88-57 win over Western Beaver.

She was a reserve who didn’t play in any of the Leopards’ seven playoff games.

Lincoln Park’s season ended Tuesday when it was upset by Johnsonburg in the PIAA Class A semifinals.

“That was heart-breaking,” Bagget said. “I cried a lot.”

Bagget arrived at Lincoln Park two years ago after transferring in from Beaver Falls.

“No, they didn’t recruit (her),” she said with a laugh.

Disappointing losses in the WPIAL and state semifinals aside, Bagget said she really enjoyed playing with the Lincoln Park boys the past two years.

She was able to experience the thrill of winning the WPIAL championship last year and advancing to the state final.

And her game improved because she practiced against a cast of skilled players on the Leopards’ roster.

“Being part of the boys team definitely made me faster and stronger than if I would have stayed playing against girls,” she said.

Even though Bagget had a limited role as a Lincoln Park basketball player, her talents didn’t go unnoticed.

She’s planning to play at the State University of New York in Corning.

“They found me,” Bagget said of the SUNY-Corning coaching staff.

Bagget, who has a 4.0 grade point average at Lincoln Park, plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Quigley Classic MVPs

BOYS

John Tomassetti, G, Lincoln Park, 28 points

Jon Magusiak, G, South Side, 16 points

GIRLS

Alex Deep, G, Riverside, 24 points

Eleanor Neeley, F, Beaver, 21 points

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